South Africa

Cash-strapped South African consumers will have to dig deep into their pockets if they are looking to splurge on red meat and pork this December.

The South African grain production industry is highly dependent on imported agricultural inputs, which means local grain prices are subjected to the same supply and demand forces that drive international markets.

Dutch authorities releasing two shipments of blueberries exported by Rossouw Boerdery Group’s subsidiary Ross Berries to the Netherlands, marks a victory for local farmers, according to a statement by the group.

The dramatic increase in the recorded cases of brucellosis (Brucella abortus) in cattle in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) since 2019 is a reflection of many livestock owners’ lack of compliance with legislation, combined with government’s failure to enforce this legislation.

Isak Moletsane, a hunter from Kroonstad, was one of the hundreds of people who attended Free State Agriculture’s (FSA) recent protest action against the murder of father and son Pieter and Eddie Hills in the Henneman district.

Grain planting in the summer grain production region of South Africa is well underway, with planting in Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal nearing completion, according to Grain SA’s latest production survey.

South Africa still has a long way to go to address gender inequality, according to various panellists who participated in a recent webinar hosted by Corteva Agriscience in partnership with the Gordon Institute of Business Science.

Stakeholders in South Africa’s wine industry have welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement that restrictions on liquor trading would be eased, saying that it will assist in the recovery of the wine industry.

At least 5 800 applications have been received from co-operatives and individuals to potentially lease a total of around 700 000ha of underutilised or vacant state-owned land for agricultural purposes.

South Africa is expecting a record malting barley crop of just over 526 700t, which is up nearly 53% from the previous season.

The Western Cape Department of Local Government has brought forward the province’s 2020/2021 fire season declaration, following a request by Agri Western Cape to ensure the safety of the 2020 harvest.

With the lingering after-effects of a crippling drought, and the National Water and Sanitation Master Plan likely to kick in next year, it was time that all stakeholders in South African agriculture started taking responsibility for their role in protecting the country’s scarce freshwater resources. This was according to water conservation and water law experts, who were speaking during Nedbank’s webinar, ‘The future of water in South Africa’s agricultural sector’, held on Tuesday, 3 November.

The South African berry producers’ association, Berries ZA, will have to conduct an investigation after a shipment of South African blueberries was seized in the Netherlands in the week of 26 October, according to Elzette Schutte, the association’s manager.

Communities in the areas of the Free State devastated by the recent wildfires in the region have expressed their gratitude for the overwhelming humanitarian aid flowing in from all corners of South Africa.

South Africa is deeply indebted and economic growth is expected to contract even more than initially anticipated.

The South African Table Grape Industry’s (SATI) first crop estimate for the 2020/2021 season is signalling a return to normal production volumes, following mostly climate-related challenges in recent years.

South Africa’s commercial and stud beef cattle breeders have so far donated more than 300 heifers to the Afrikaner Cattle Breeders’ Society of South Africa’s Sponsor a Heifer initiative in aid of the victims of the devastating wildfires in the western Free State.

Losses of livestock and infrastructure are expected to run into millions of rand following the devastating wildfires that raged across large parts of the Free State during the past week.

Potato prices across all classes and markets reached record levels of more than R80 for a 10kg bag in October, surpassing the previous record set in 2016 of R63/10kg bag, according to Dr Andre Jooste, CEO of Potatoes South Africa.

South Africa is currently faced with a wine glut of 289 million litres, due to the ban on the sale of liquor during the lockdown period to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.